CREATE-X, Georgia Tech’s premier entrepreneurship program, kicked off its 12th Startup Launch cohort this month with a record-breaking 137 student teams and 25 faculty and research teams — totaling 318 founders. The summer-long accelerator, known for turning ideas into real-world ventures, is once again positioning Georgia Tech as a national leader in invention and startup creation.

This year’s cohort spans a wide range of industries, including artificial intelligence, defense, healthcare, gaming, sustainability, media management, agriculture tech, fashion tech, education, and more. 

“These founders are in the messy middle and that's a beautiful place to be. There’s a lot of freedom in that,” said Margaret Wagner, director of Startup Launch. “We’re all going to be in this together. It's a safe space to try new things. It’s OK if it doesn't work out because what we want founders to learn is an entrepreneurial mindset and entrepreneurial spirit — something you take with you no matter what you do after this.”

Over the next 12 weeks, teams will validate ideas, build products, and acquire customers with the help of dedicated coaches, a robust founder community, and a network of mentors and alumni. 

Raghupathy "Siva" Sivakumar, Georgia Tech’s inaugural vice president of Commercialization and the faculty founder of CREATE-X, spoke about the core of CREATE-X and what it would take for founders to succeed.

“Startup Launch is not about Georgia Tech gaining from your success. We are here just for one reason, which is to make you successful,” he said. “You need to hold yourself accountable. You need to be ambitious in terms of how big a problem you solve. You need to be emphatic that the customer matters. The successful teams are 100% behind what's going to make the lives of customers easier and better.”

In 2014, CREATE-X was co-founded by Sivakumar, Provost Steve McLaughlin, and other Georgia Tech faculty, including Ray Vito, Craig Forest, and Ravi Bellamkonda (who is now the executive vice president and provost of The Ohio State University). The program received its initial major philanthropic support from Chris Klaus, a Georgia Tech alumnus and tech entrepreneur, whose gift helped launch the initiative, and , played a key role in building out the program's maker courses. Over the years, CREATE-X has continued to grow, thanks largely to the philanthropic support of alumni and foundations who believe in its mission.

In the last decade, the program has produced over 650 startups, $2.4 billion in portfolio valuation, and had eight founders named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30. Wagner shared stories of past teams who pivoted dramatically — from a glucose-monitoring pillow to a sobriety app now valued at over $350 million, and from a camping gear delivery service to a billion-dollar logistics platform. 

“We don’t know which ideas will become the next unicorns,” Wagner said. “But we’re betting on you.”

At the kickoff event, McLaughlin and Klaus were honored for their contributions to Georgia Tech’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. McLaughlin encouraged the founders through the story of CREATE-X.

“From the very beginning, we challenged CREATE-X to be a startup as well. To this day, CREATE-X has raised its own money to do this. It's a reminder of what it takes to make this happen,” he said. “This is the most difficult challenge you have ever taken. I think at the time, we were probably skeptical about whether students could do it. Now we know that you can.”

Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera reflected on the impact of McLaughlin, Klaus, and others who saw the vision of Georgia Tech being an entrepreneurial campus. 

“Ten years ago, this was a crazy, absurd idea,” he said. “Now, 150 teams are working on their own crazy ideas. Even though sometimes there's this idea of the entrepreneur as a loner, what you learn very quickly is entrepreneurship is a team sport.”

Klaus spoke about people collaborating and helping solve problems together. 

“I'm especially inspired by Georgia with its complex history,” he said. “It continues to be a place where peace can be envisioned and pursued. I think this recognition strengthens my commitment to building bridges, resolving conflict, and lifting up voices that seek unity. As you build your businesses, you'll be building collaborations and partnerships, and hopefully make the world a better place.”

As the summer progresses, founders will be guided by CREATE-X’s core values: experiential education, entrepreneurial confidence, and real-world impact. Wagner encouraged teams to “show up uncomfortable” and “leverage every single resource” available.

The journey will culminate at Demo Day, where teams will showcase their startups to investors, industry leaders, and the broader community. The event is free, open to the public, and promises a front-row seat to the next wave of Georgia Tech-born innovation.

Demo Day 2025 will take place on Thursday, Aug. 28, at 5 p.m., in the Exhibition Hall. For more information and to RSVP, visit the CREATE-X Demo Day Eventbrite.

In the world of supply chain management, we spend much of our time searching for ways to make things better — more reliable, more efficient, more resilient. It’s a pursuit that can feel endless because improvement rarely comes from one grand move; instead, it is found in hundreds of small, thoughtful actions over time.

That’s why I’m recommending a summer read that, while not a traditional supply chain book, speaks directly to this spirit of continuous improvement: Better by Atul Gawande.

Gawande, a practicing surgeon and bestselling author, focuses much of his writing on the challenges of delivering better outcomes in medicine. But as you read Better, it becomes clear that the insights he shares transcend healthcare. In fact, many of them connect deeply to the work we do in supply chain. Health care, after all, is a complex supply chain in itself — one that must manage the flow of goods (medicines, equipment) and services (diagnosis, surgery, therapy) under conditions of great uncertainty and high stakes.

Gawande’s work reminds us that the principles that drive improvement in medicine are the same ones that drive improvement in supply chains, manufacturing, transportation, and just about every field where people are trying to do things better every day.

Three Takeaways for Supply Chain Professionals

1. The Relentless Pursuit of Better is Everyone’s Job

One of Gawande’s central points is that better performance is not reserved for “geniuses” or “experts” alone. In medicine, small, consistent improvements — asking an extra question, double-checking a dosage, washing hands properly — save lives. The same is true in supply chain.

In our world, whether it’s taking a second look at an inventory replenishment setting or spending a few extra minutes mapping supplier risks, the incremental pursuit of better outcomes can mean the difference between success and failure. There’s no standing still. Better is a moving target, and everyone on the team has a role in aiming for it.

2. Systems Matter as Much as Skill

Gawande makes a strong case that even the most skilled individuals can fail if the systems around them are poorly designed. A world-class surgeon operating in a broken hospital supply chain still faces high risks of failure.

Supply chains work the same way. Even great people can’t overcome a bad process or poor system design for long. When we evaluate our operations, it’s important to look beyond individual performance and address the structural barriers that prevent consistent execution. Strong systems allow talent to flourish; weak systems exhaust it.

3. Always Ask One More Question

One of my favorite insights from Better is the idea that sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is simply ask one more question.

Gawande shares examples where small moments of curiosity or concern — asking a patient one more question about their symptoms, or a nurse asking why a process was skipped — led to major improvements or saved lives.

In supply chain, asking one more question can reveal unseen risks, highlight hidden opportunities, and help avoid costly mistakes. When considering a new supplier, a logistics routing change, or a forecasting adjustment, taking the time to dig a little deeper often makes the difference between a smooth operation and a big problem.

As supply chain learners and leaders, developing the habit of curiosity — and the courage to ask that extra question — is one of the simplest and most powerful habits we can cultivate.

Why Better is a Worthwhile Summer Read

What makes Better a great summer read is not just the quality of Gawande’s storytelling, but how accessible and applicable his lessons are. You don’t have to be a doctor to appreciate the challenges he describes, and you don’t have to be in a hospital to face similar decisions about quality, safety, and improvement.

Supply chains, like healthcare systems, are messy, imperfect, and always evolving. Gawande’s stories are a reminder that we improve not by finding perfect solutions, but by persistently chasing better ones — day after day, decision after decision.

If you’re looking for a book that will inspire you to think a little differently about your work, challenge you to ask better questions, and recharge your commitment to doing things better — Better is a worthy addition to your summer reading list.

I hope you’ll find it as insightful and motivating as I did. And as you turn its pages, I encourage you to keep a simple question in mind: What’s one thing I could do a little better today?

The Georgia Center of Innovation, a strategic arm of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), hosted hundreds of attendees at the 2025 Georgia Logistics Summit, where experts offered insights on the intersection of technology and logistics, updates on infrastructure investments, and how the state is preparing the future workforce to support growth. Established in 2009 as the first state-led event of its kind, the Georgia Logistics Summit is one of the Southeast’s key logistics and supply chain events, connecting industry professionals for networking and knowledge-sharing.

The economic impact of Georgia’s transportation and logistics industry was $107 billion in 2023, according to an economic impact study by the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth. These industries supported more than 578,000 Georgia jobs, or one in nine jobs in the state. From 2010 to 2023, transportation and logistics jobs in Georgia grew by 68%, outpacing the national growth rate of 52%. Additionally, in 2023 and 2024 alone, new logistics and distribution sector investments, including cold storage and ecommerce fulfillment centers, totaled $3.8 billion and created over 9,000 new jobs.

“Georgia’s unmatched global connectivity is one of the driving forces behind our economic success. Decades of strategic investment in our logistics and supply chain infrastructure – from our ports and rail lines to our highways and air cargo capabilities – have led to record-breaking economic investments and trade,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “The Logistics Summit brings together private sector, government, and education leaders to learn from experts, exchange best practices, and explore opportunities in the rapidly evolving logistics landscape to maximize opportunities. Events like this strengthen collaboration and spark new ideas that keep Georgia businesses competitive on a global scale.”

Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell R. McMurry highlighted Georgia’s strategic investments and how the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is leveraging technology to improve freight flow. He cited the leadership of Governor Brian P. Kemp and support from the General Assembly to allocate $1 billion to the newly created Georgia Freight Program over the past two years. Additional investments in transportation infrastructure are advancing the timing for key planned transportation projects that will maintain and improve Georgia’s interstate highway system, roads, and bridges. Georgia’s multimodal transportation network carried nearly half a billion tons of freight in 2019, valued at $673 trillion. Projections show that freight volume is expected to nearly double to 900 million in tonnage and freight value to more than double today’s value by 2050. Working with partners that include the Center of Innovation and the Georgia Institute of Technology, GDOT is focusing on enhancing safety and efficiency, including projects to add 50% more truck parking and installing fiber internet on Georgia interstates.

Georgia Ports Authority Vice President of Operations Susan Gardner provided updates on strategic investments to expand capacity at the ports, and how Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) is leveraging live data to improve safety, track vessel productivity and containers, and eliminate congestion. Gardner emphasized building a technological culture and prioritizing hiring creative employees, as well as harnessing data insights to boost efficiency. GPA is investing in $4.5 billion in improvements over the next decade as part of its port master plan to expand cargo handling capabilities and support future supply chain requirements.

This year’s feature panel, “AI and Beyond: Embracing Digital Transformation in Logistics,” included leadership from The Home Depot, Havertys Furniture, and TOTO USA, as well as research perspectives from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Panelists highlighted the ways digital technologies are reshaping supply chains, including a three- to five-year outlook for the industry, and provided insights attendees can use to shape their strategies to move more efficiently as AI and automation transform the industry.

“Digital technologies are reshaping supply chains in various ways, and Georgia is working to stay ahead of the curve,” said Center of Innovation Executive Director David Nuckolls. “The Center of Innovation and our specialized logistics team work alongside this dynamic industry, helping to position businesses for growth. The annual Georgia Logistics Summit is a powerful opportunity to build connections and equip businesses with crucial knowledge and resources.”

Educating the needed talent was the focus of the event’s final panel, with University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue and Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier providing updates on how the state’s post-secondary institutions are developing a globally competitive workforce. Discussion focused on how these institutions are ensuring the skills they are teaching match the jobs logistics companies are looking for, including creative problem-solving and effective use of new AI and automation tools. The breadth of Georgia’s technical college programs was also discussed, including the High Demand Career Initiatives program and a pilot program called “Dual Achievement” that enrolls students who withdrew from high school in a technical college program, enabling them to earn a high school diploma alongside a technical college certificate, diploma, or degree. Panelists focused on the importance of helping students get where they want to go faster, upskilling the existing workforce, and how connections between industry leaders and educators can help foster greater outcomes.

The Center of Innovation’s Logistics Industry Advisory Board also recognized the winners of the inaugural Future Innovators in Supply Chain competition. The competition invited college students to create videos about supply chain careers, reflecting the Center’s commitment to developing future logistics leaders. Led by professor Parisa Pooyan, student team “The Masters of Logistinomics” from Kennesaw State University won first prize and a $3,000 grant for the university. Eli Hampton, Angeline Harris, Joe Johnson, and Dana Pazhouhesh created the winning video, which can be viewed here.

For additional information on the 2025 Georgia Logistics Summit and to stay up-to-date on next year’s plans, visit galogisticssummit.com.

Participants in the 2025 Georgia Logistics Summit also included leaders from S&P Global Market Intelligence, Boost Phase Ventures, and M.D. Livingstone Consulting.

About the Georgia Center of Innovation
Exclusive to Georgia, the Center of Innovation helps Georgia businesses of all types and sizes find inspired solutions to challenges and opportunities. The Center connects new and expanding businesses with a team of experts, external partners, and independent mentors to tap into the technical expertise and guidance they need. By encouraging collaboration across six key industries: Aerospace, AgTech, Energy Technology, Information Technology, Logistics, and Manufacturing, the Center helps Georgia prepare for growth in strategic industry ecosystems.

About GDEcD
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state’s sales and marketing arm. It is Georgia’s lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, and locating new markets for Georgia products. As the state’s official destination marketing organization, it drives traveler visitation and promotes the state as a location for film and digital entertainment projects. GDEcD is responsible for planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development, fostering innovation and the arts to drive opportunity from the mountains to the coast.

According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly one-fourth of the U.S. population over age 45 suffers from foot and ankle issues, which reduce their quality of life, adversely affect walking and other daily functions, and increase the risk of falls.

For orthopedic patients recovering from surgery, walking properly can speed recovery, enabling them to more quickly regain mobility and quality of life. Walking issues or problems with one’s gait can also indicate larger medical problems, from vascular disease to brain, nerve, or spinal cord injuries.

Three alumni from Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and School of Bioengineering hope to help doctors and patients analyze walking patterns through their wearable sensor startup,  StrideLink. 

“In the same way a cardiologist puts an EKG on you to monitor your heart, we essentially have designed that for walking ability,” says StrideLink founder and CEO Marzeah “Zea” Khorramabadi.

Initially targeting orthopedic practices for their platform, the HIPAA-compliant system wirelessly analyzes patients’ gaits to help doctors remotely monitor their walking ability before and after surgery to better address issues and provide more personalized treatment. 

The 26-year-old Georgia Tech graduate of computer engineering founded StrideLink in 2021 with two other Tech students: Cassandra McIltrot, a 2022 biomedical and medical engineering graduate, and Neel Narvekar, who completed his computer engineering studies in 2021.

Since starting StrideLink, the three have raised just under $1 million in pre-seed funding and are now starting their seed funding push.

McIltrot, 24, serves as research director at StrideLink. She says talking to surgeons, physical therapists, and patients was invaluable in building the StrideLink platform, which includes a physical sensor that connects via Bluetooth to a mobile platform. Orthopedic physicians can then access a secure interface to view their patients’ gait data.

“Being able to learn from all those people helped us build something that will bring value,” she says.

Narvekar, the startup’s CTO, calls the technology “a game-changer,” noting, “For the first time, we can widely collect clinically relevant gait data. Starting in orthopedics, this means we can build datasets to predict recovery timelines, identify when patients are off track, and intervene before adverse events occur. Ultimately, this will pave the way for improved care across a range of health conditions."

The enterprising entrepreneurs didn’t do it alone. They leveraged CREATE-X, which supports students in launching successful startups through education, coaching, funding, and other resources. 

Below, Khorramabadi and McIltrot share more about their journey as members of the first cohort of CREATE-X’s Female Founders program in Fall 2020. In Summer 2021, the duo completed Startup Launch, a 12-week summer accelerator that helps students launch startups.  

Did you two always want to start your own business?

Khorramabadi: It was kind of inevitable for Cassie and me. My dad immigrated from Iran and met my mom here. He started his own business selling cars. So, I grew up with a family that was running a small business. I’ve always had that in me, and it was the expectation that I would go to college. I picked Georgia Tech specifically because they had showcased the CREATE-X program during the tour.

McIltrot: My dad had a construction consulting business, and my mom was a nurse. That’s where the medical influence came from for me. He’s also an engineer. The summer that we decided to pursue this, I was doing research on stroke rehab at Emory. 

How did you come up with  your big idea?    

Khorramabadi: In the middle of the pandemic, there was a lot of emphasis on technology — leaving the clinic and being in a patient's home. How are we going to deliver healthcare effectively when patients aren't directly in front of their doctor? 

At the same time, Cassie was doing stroke research, and there was a lot around how heavily walking ability, walking patterns, or your gait is affected. We talked to healthcare professionals, physical therapists, surgeons, everyone. And it was clear that there was a pretty big gap in the market in terms of the technology that would serve these patients who have any symptoms that show up in their walking ability. It wasn’t measured at all. So, we ended up landing on a gait monitor as a solution. 

We realized there was a very immediate, straightforward need for our product in orthopedics. If you're getting a knee replacement, ankle, or foot surgery, it's valuable to be able to put this product on a patient preoperatively to better prepare them for surgery. Surgeons can take real measurements of what their patients’ walking ability looks like before surgery and then track them throughout the entirety of their post-op recovery, which can be three months, six months, or even 12 months.

How does the solution work?

Khorramabadi: We designed our platform from the ground up. Our physical sensor connects to a mobile application. That mobile application connects to an entire cloud architecture that has processing servers and database storage. On the physician side, we have an interface for them to view data that fits into their workflow, including receiving insurance reimbursement. The technology component was designed in-house by Neil and me, given our backgrounds in computer engineering.

Are you using AI or advanced analytics in your platform?

Khorramabadi: We have a lot of very advanced data processing methods that are entirely proprietary to our system. We’ve acquired enough data from all of the patients we've seen with Emory, and now we're tracking patients remotely, where we are starting to use real clinical data to train AI to deliver a performance score to these patients. It’s essentially one number that rates how you’re doing related to a healthy or normal gait. We're already using AI right now, and that's something that's going to be released with our product within the next six months.

Where are you in terms of product maturity?

Khorramabadi: We recently started with our first fully remote full-time customer. Before that, we were doing research with another physician at Emory, where they had used it for over a year. At this point, they've tracked over 250 patients, where they put the sensors on at their pre-op appointment and then track them during post-op follow-ups. 

They weren’t sent home with the sensors until our sensor was FDA-listed last year, and then we started our first pilot with a private practice in Amelia Island, Florida, last October. That has gone incredibly well, so we just expanded to an orthopedic practice in Alabama, and we should be getting two more practices started in 2025. We've solidified the product fit, and we’re now at the point of scaling it. We also have a research partnership with Children's Hospital Colorado to work on a pediatrics application. 

What was most helpful about the CREATE-X programs you participated in at Georgia Tech?

Khorramabadi: Georgia Tech makes exploring doing a startup easy and low-risk for any student. The fact that it was so accessible was monumental early on. In terms of programming, the most valuable part was the emphasis on customer discovery. They did a good job, saying, “You don't know what to build until you talk to enough customers.”

We needed a mentor as part of our first startup class, and we read how James Stubbs, a tenured professor in biomedical engineering, was a previous founder. He’d done a couple of medical device companies that had been acquired. At our first meeting, he told us we need to talk to people. From a business standpoint, it made more sense for us to go to orthopedics rather than physical therapy for a whole host of reasons. But the biggest takeaway of talking to customers was a very consistent experience with both the Startup Launch and the Female Founders program. 

McIltrot: The Female Founders program did a fantastic job of that, where we set goals as teams and were encouraged to talk to as many people we think are going to be our customers. We then met as a group and presented what we learned.  

So you have to get out of get out of your comfort zone, and not be shy about engaging with people.   Cassie, what was the big benefit for you?

McIltrot: We were the first cohort for Female Founders. We checked in every week with our team. Everyone would talk about what they learned that week while talking to people. We were the only medical-focused startup in the program, but being able to share the experience of how we approached people allowed us to learn from each other. We like keeping up with each other on LinkedIn. We learned one of the people in our cohort just closed a funding round.

Is having a community of other women entrepreneurs helpful?

Khorramabadi: Definitely. We’ve gotten a lot out of building a network, especially coming from starting this out of college, where you don't have any industry connections built up yet.  

What has been the biggest value from your experience participating in Startup Launch? 

Khorramabadi: Networking has been the biggest value for both Startup Launch and Female Founders. Both of those programs emphasized networking and customer discovery. Being involved in both programs at the same time kept us focused on that. 

Startup Launch was a good crash course in how you set up your company from a legal aspect, as well as the conversations you need to have with your co-founders, and this is how you pitch and how you raise investment. All these topics are very foreign, and there's not a lot of good information out there on them. So, it was important to have that in the program. It was also nice to connect with Georgia Tech founders who had started companies and seen some success. The program brought them in to talk to us and share what they'd learned. It was nice to have that extra guidance. 

What is the biggest benefit of your innovation?

Khorramabadi: The biggest value is knowing how you're doing right now, and also, if you're not doing well, your physician being able to make changes quickly to your plan of care. The platform also lets patients realize what may be contributing to their getting reinjured or having a slower recovery.

What has been the impact of your platform to date?

Khorramabadi: We've already seen the immediate ROI in terms of patients just feeling much better and much more comfortable in their recovery and being able to push themselves a little bit further than they would have otherwise, because they know they have this product that's tracking them, and they know their physician also is tracking them. 

On the physician side, there's a lot of incentive for them, because they see this as a tool to stay connected with their patients, which is incredibly valuable for them for delivering the best care or best experience for those patients. Also, this product is now covered by Medicare, CIGNA, and United Healthcare.

McIltrot: One of the things we have heard from patients is they’re using this to instill confidence in their walking ability and their recovery. Because these recovery timelines could be six months to a year to multiple years long, being able to have something that shows how much you've been able to improve is invaluable. 

Our future vision is being able to put this on a patient and have a projected recovery laid out. One day, this device could provide recommendations on what went wrong and how to fix it. Being proactive with the care that we deliver to patients is the end goal.

Any advice for Georgia Tech students thinking about taking an innovative idea to market? 

Khorramabadi: Go for it. Startups are always a risk, and Georgia Tech provides you with a safety net to take that risk. If you have an idea on how to solve a problem, why wait? Don't hesitate.

If you are looking for a supportive community to help you start your entrepreneurial journey, applications for the Female Founders Program are open until May 19 for Summer 2025. Apply for Female Founders today and over the summer learn entrepreneurship from an all-female coaching team, network with experts and successful entrepreneurs, build your network, and access funding to kick off a startup. Admissions are rolling.

 For those interested in seeing the latest startups coming out of CREATE-X, join us for Demo Day 2025! On Aug. 28 at 5 p.m., over 100 startups will fill Exhibition Hall, debuting technologies from clean tech to fashion. Register today for this free event that attracts over 1,500 attendees, from business leaders to enthusiasts, and see how our founders are tackling issues across industries.

What’s the hottest thing in electronics and high-performance computing? In a word, it’s “cool.”

To be more precise, it’s a liquid cooling system developed at Georgia Tech for electronics aimed at solving a long-standing problem: overheating.

Developed by Daniel Lorenzini, a 2019 Tech graduate who earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, the cooling system uses microfluidic channels — tiny, intricate pathways for liquids — that are embedded within the chip packaging.

He worked with VentureLab, a Tech program in the Office of Commercialization, to spin his research into a startup company, EMCOOL, headquartered in Norcross.

“Our solution directly addresses the heat at the source of the silicon chip and therefore makes it faster,” Lorenzini said. “Our design has our system sitting directly on the silicon chips that generate the most heat. Using the fluids in the micro-pin fins, it carries the heat that’s produced away from the chip.”

That cooling solution is directly integrated into the electronic components, making it significantly more efficient than conventional cooling methods, because it enhances the heat dissipation process.

The result is a much lower risk of overheating and reduced power consumption, he said.

Lorenzini, who researched and refined the technology in the lab of Yogendra Joshi at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, was awarded a patent for the technology in September 2024.

Now, EMCOOL, which has five empoloyees, is actively pursuing venture capital funding to scale its technology and address the escalating thermal management challenges posed by AI processors in modern data centers.

The system uses a cooling block with tiny, pin-like fins on one side and a special thermal interface material on the other. There's also a junction attached to the block, with ports for the fluid to flow in and out. The cooling fluid moves through the micro-pin fins and helps to carry away the heat.

Since the ports are designed to match the shape of the fins, it ensures that the fluid flows efficiently and the heat is dissipated as effectively as possible at chip-scale. 

As electronic devices — from high-performance personal computers to data centers used for artificial intelligence processing — become more powerful, they generate more heat. This excess heat can damage components or cause the device to underperform.

Traditional cooling methods, which include fans or heat sinks, often struggle to keep pace with the increasing demands of the newer model electronics. Lorenzini’s microfluidic system addresses the challenge of overheating with his patented, more effective, compact, and integrated cooling solution.

With the guidance of Jonathan Goldman, director of Quadrant-i in Tech’s Office of Commercialization, Lorenzini secured grant funding through the National Science Foundation and the Georgia Research Alliance to further the research and build design prototypes.

“We immediately had the sense there was commercial potential here,” Goldman said. “Thermal management, or getting rid of heat, is a ubiquitous problem in the computer industry, so when we saw what Daniel was doing, we immediately began to engage with him to understand what the commercial potential was.”

Indeed, the initial focus for the technology was the $159 billion global electronic gaming market. Gamers need a lot of computing power, which generates a lot of heat, causing lag.

But beyond gaming systems, the company, which manufactures custom cooling blocks and kits at its Norcross facility, is eyeing more sectors, which also suffer from overheating, Goldman said.

The technology addresses similar overheating electronics challenges in high-performance computing, telecommunications, and energy systems.

“This work propels us forward in pushing the boundaries of what traditional cooling technologies can achieve because by harnessing the power of microfluidics, EMCOOL's systems offer a compact and energy-efficient way to manage heat,” Goldman said. “This has the potential to revolutionize industries reliant on high-performance computing, where heat management is a constant challenge.”

Four students from Startup Lab have been selected to join the 2025 immersive cohort at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. Alex Aridgides (mechanical engineering and economics), Shinhai Chen (industrial engineering), Varuni Chopra (industrial engineering), and Christie Peng (computer science) are the first Georgia Tech students to be invited to the program.

The weeklong, all-expenses-paid program offers university-affiliated innovators the chance to refine their innovations, engage in customer discovery, and network with industry leaders and peers at SXSW. The annual festival celebrates technology, film, music, education, and culture. Students participated in a competitive application process, which involved submitting applications, meeting specific evaluation criteria, and being selected by a panel of industry experts, mentors, and SXSW organizers.

Yolanda Payne, the students’ Startup Lab instructor, presented the SXSW opportunity in class.

"My goal is to be their biggest cheerleader,” she explained. “I had great teachers who helped me get to where I am today, and I strive to emulate their support. I’m always willing to guide students toward new opportunities."

She learned about the SXSW immersive cohort from Nakia Melecio, director of the National Science Foundation I-Corps Southeast Hub. The $15 million initiative crosses nine major research universities in the southern U.S. and accelerates the translation of deep tech research into commercial ventures. The hub works closely with entrepreneurial faculty, students, and researchers to equip them with the tools, networks, and support to bring their innovations to market.

Melecio plays a central role in identifying and advancing strategic opportunities for university partners and their entrepreneurial teams. “When the opportunity to participate in SXSW arose, I recognized it as an ideal platform to showcase the talent and innovation coming out of our region.”

Melecio added that Startup Lab is ideal for amplifying NSF I-Corps’ goals because of the course’s proven track record of fostering hands-on learning and commercialization readiness. “Startup Lab helps prepare students not just to think entrepreneurially, but to act on their ideas with confidence and a structured path forward. It was a natural fit for this opportunity.”

Payne says the experience students gained in Startup Lab helped prepare them for the immersive cohort. “The knowledge is being solidified by an experience you’re having in my class and the real world.”

Chopra agrees that Startup Lab teaches essential business development fundamentals and customer discovery principles, skills that are relevant to the SXSW program. She recommends the course to other students and emphasizes the value of combining engineering or technical backgrounds with entrepreneurship skills.

“We take a lot of classes that are directly related to our major, and they're very technical. But when it comes to wanting to start something of your own or even understanding how startups work, it's completely different than the rest of our coursework.”

Startup Lab is a three-credit course that focuses on evidence-based entrepreneurship. This hands-on class covers ideation, teamwork, customer discovery, minimum viable products, the business model canvas, and other topics. Students learn how to launch a startup by integrating in-class lectures with practical, out-of-class activities, including interviewing potential customers and refining their startup ideas based on real-world feedback. 

The program provides access to valuable resources, mentorship from seasoned entrepreneurs, and a supportive community to help students develop their startups. Startup Lab and NSF I-Corps are also exploring other industry showcases for student entrepreneurs like SXSW. 

Chen chose Startup Lab to pursue his entrepreneurial interests. “I knew that Georgia Tech had a really good startup culture, so I researched what they had to offer, and Startup Lab was the first step." He also noted Payne's impact as an instructor. "The best part is how much she cares about the topic. She has a lot of background knowledge and is passionate.”

Startup Lab is unique because it "de-risks the business model,” Payne says. Many entrepreneurs first build their products and then talk to potential customers. However, Startup Lab students perform customer discovery, sharing their ideas with potential end users, listening to their needs and feedback, and then building the product. 

Peng recalls a powerful moment of pitching an idea for an app to streamline MARTA operations. “I had a fun time coming up with this idea. We learned a lot about interviewing, coming up with possible solutions, and refining our idea,” she says. "Being surrounded by so many brilliant individuals at Georgia Tech makes it easy to get idea formation or networking connections you need for your idea to succeed."

Aridgides has ambitious post-program goals, envisioning creating change through entrepreneurship. "I want to start a company to change the world for the better and make a big impact. That's my life goal. I think through a company, I can achieve that."

Payne reminds students that they possess something many adults lack: time to explore different ideas. She also says Startup Lab can help students value and see their ideas in new ways. 

“They don't recognize that the product they're working on could be pursued through entrepreneurship or think of themselves as entrepreneurs. And even if they don't pursue it, it helps them in all aspects of life because business and capitalism are part of what we do every day.”

If you’re a student interested in adding entrepreneurship to your course schedule, registration for the summer and fall semesters opens on April 15. In addition to Startup Lab, students also have the opportunity to build a prototype with support through Idea to Prototype and CREATE-X Capstone Design. 

CREATE-X is celebrating the eight CREATE-X entrepreneurs included on the recent Forbes 30 Under 30 list. They include founders Sohan Choudhury of Flint, Garrett Smiley of Sora Schools, Sarah Hamer of RetailReady, Bruno Geoly and Mia Rath of Lumindt, Rishabh Kewalramani of BackBar, Safir Monroe of UnDelay, and Tamara Zubatiy of Barometer. 

Forbes 30 Under 30 is a yearly list of notable young people in art, entertainment, healthcare, science, and more. CREATE-X has had founders on this list 11 times since 2017. Read about how some of the 2025 honorees got their start — and their advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs.

Sohan Choudhury: Flint

The Beginning

“I decided to start Flint because I was passionate about education as a space, and I felt that there's a lot more that could be done with AI in education. When we started the company in May 2023, the perspective of a lot of schools and teachers on AI was very negative because they were looking at how students were using it to cheat. As technologists, my co-founder and I asked, ‘Is there something more we can do to change this narrative and perspective?’ We started building tools for teachers and students and partnering with schools.” 

The CREATE-X Experience

“CREATE-X gave me the first avenue to work on my own thing. When I was a first-year or sophomore in college, I didn't know that was possible. I thought once I graduate I'll maybe get an engineering job and just do that. But CREATE-X changed that story for me by giving me another path. As I went down that path with my first company, the advisors we had through CREATE-X were incredibly helpful to us.”

The Outlook

“Day to day, a lot of the work we do is pretty unglamorous. We’re dealing with bugs that our customers are facing, or we’re cold emailing people. It's easy to get lost in the weeds. The Forbes announcement was a great way for us to reflect on what we've done so far. It's such a team effort, so it was validating to get recognition on a broader level for the work we're doing.”

Advice for Success

“If you can code or are interested in coding, pull on that thread. If you can build your own prototypes, which is becoming easy to do nowadays with AI, it will help you get further with your ideas. The second piece of advice is to take your idea and try to convince someone to pay for it. Even if you have a tool that will save your peers time with studying, build something basic for it, but then ask them to pay you five bucks. People speak with their money. There were times at Flint where we had a lot of positive feedback, and then we asked people to pay, and all of the constructive feedback came out.”

Garrett Smiley: Sora Schools

The Beginning

“I was a military brat, so I moved around to a lot of different schools and experienced a bunch of different styles of learning. I went to school in the early 2010s, right when laptops were entering the classroom. We had YouTube, Khan Academy, Coursera, and all these things hit the mainstream. Because of my background, education was a very active question in my life. I saw how these tools completely supercharged my learning and changed the relationship between student and teacher and the dynamics of the classroom.”

The CREATE-X Experience

“CREATE-X asked us to think about large systemic problems we were passionate about. That pushed me to think seriously about how I could help solve a problem in this space. It was helpful to put into practice many of the startup lessons that I'd been studying forever, and it was great to have a community of founders before anyone believed in us.”

The Outlook

“I'm inspired by Forbes’ emphasis on education, so to be recognized in that context was extra special. We’re in 46 states and 16 countries, so it's great to see the breadth that Sora has accomplished. We're bringing this style of education to different communities that, in many cases, have never considered something like this before. Seeing our students accepted into places like Harvard, Georgia Tech, and other elite institutions shows families that you can have a transformative education like Sora and still go to those schools if it makes sense.“

Advice for Success

“Use your free time in school to try the things you're thinking about. Sora was an idea I thought I would circle back to when I was 30 or 40 and had money and credibility. But I was shocked by how open people were to listening to a young person with a few resonating ideas. There's no qualification or age requirement to provide value and improve people's lives.”

Sarah Hamer: RetailReady

The Beginning

“I met my co-founder, Elle, while we were working at a company called Stord, which is also an Atlanta-based startup. Elle and I were put on a project going to a warehouse every week for six months. We saw some gaps in supply chain software and decided to solve them since nothing was on the market. So I applied to Y Combinator and got in, and now we’re here.”

The CREATE-X Experience

“CREATE-X was my first foray into starting a business. It gave me confidence, and I learned a lot of lessons with my first business. I think I would've made a lot of mistakes starting a business now if I hadn't had that experience in college. For example, knowing how important user interviews are, how you’ll probably fail here and there, start small, then scale — the principles you take for granted that CREATE-X taught.”

The Outlook

“I started at Microsoft right out of Georgia Tech and was there for a year and a half. It was a very stable, well-paying job. I followed my gut to leave and join a startup called Stord and then followed it again to leave and start RetailReady. Quitting your stable day-to-day job takes a lot, and I’m proud I took the chance. We’ve grown fast, and it’s a huge honor to be included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the first year of being in business. We’re really happy about it.” 

Advice for Success

“When you can, take the chance and do it. Even if you’re not sure, always believe you’ll win. A lot of it is mental fitness, believing what your gut is telling you. There will be times when you’ll say, ‘This probably isn’t the right move to make.’ Listen to that.”

Bruno Geoly: Lumindt

The Beginning

“An inflection point for me was the summer of 2021. I was working at SpaceX, and at the same time, my friends and I had started this Web3 crypto company dealing with NFTs. And I was like, I can mix these two things together to do something cool, something important. The idea of what Lumindt is wasn't even a sparkle in my eye at that time. But I knew I wanted something of my own, doing these two things I enjoy — entrepreneurship and high-level engineering. And that's what I did.”

The CREATE-X Experience

“CREATE X was a way for me and my co-founder to stay accountable for our work. When you have an idea you want to turn into a business, it’s hard to stay on yourself to do that. CREATE-X was a good way for us to always have a thing to go to and ideate what we’re working on. And there was a little bit of competition. You see all of these other people making progress, and it’s good inspiration and a motivator to continue working.”

The Outlook

“My co-founder and I were very appreciative of being included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Looking back on what I wanted to do in college, I just loved building stuff. And to have this small team of people, and we’re able to build what we want, and there's cohesion and camaraderie, I'm very happy with that. It's fun to go to work every day and work with the people I do. And not only that, we now have a business that impacts the world.”

Advice for Success

“If you want to be an entrepreneur, that's a skill set like anything else. If you want to get better at karate, you practice karate. If you want to be a better entrepreneur, you have to practice entrepreneurship. You'll learn a lot about yourself — what problems you like to solve and what problems you need help solving.”

Want to Build Your Own Startup?

Georgia Tech students, faculty, researchers, and alumni interested in developing their own startups are encouraged to apply to CREATE-X's Startup Launch, which provides $5,000 in optional seed funding and $150,000 in in-kind services, mentorship, entrepreneurial workshops, networking events, and resources to help build and scale startups. The program culminates in Demo Day, where teams present their startups to potential investors. The deadline to apply for Startup Launch is Monday, March 17. Spots are limited. Apply now.

Bradford “Brad” Greer (bottom) and Kevin Ge (top), both 2023 graduates from the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, have taken their startup, CADMUS Health Analytics, from a classroom project to a promising health tech company. In 2023, CADMUS was accepted into the CREATE-X Startup Launch program. Over the 12-week accelerator, CADMUS made significant strides, and program mentors provided expert guidance, helping the team focus their direction based on real-world needs. Their partnership with Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) was a direct result of connections made at Startup Launch’s Demo Day.

How did you first hear about CREATE-X?

We did the CREATE-X Capstone with an initial team of seven people, later transitioning to Startup Launch in the summer. Capstone required a hardware product, but for several reasons, we pivoted to software. By that point, we already had a grasp on the problem that we were working on but didn't have the resources to start working on a large hardware product.

Why did you decide to pursue your startup?

One of our close buddies was an emergency medical technician (EMT), and we also had family connections to EMTs. When we were doing our customer interviews, we found out that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) had multiple problems that we thought we'd like to work on and that were more accessible than the broader medical technology industry. 

What was Startup Launch like for you?

Startup Launch seemed to transition pretty seamlessly from the Capstone course. We came to understand our customer base and technical development better, and the program also led us through the process of starting and running a company. I found it very interesting and learned a whole lot.

What was the most difficult challenge in Startup Launch?

Definitely customer interviews. We spent a lot of time on that in the Startup Launch classes. It's a difficult thing to have a good takeaway from a customer interview without getting the conversation confused and being misled. We didn't mention the product, or we tried to wait as long as possible before mentioning the product, so as to not bias or elicit general, positive messaging from interviewees. 

We're working in EMS, and the products we are building affect healthcare. EMS is a little informal and a little rough around the edges. Many times, people don't want to admit how bad their practices are, which can easily lead to us collecting bad data. 

What affected you the most from Startup Launch?

The resources at our fingertips. When we were running around, it was nice to be able to consult with our mentor. It's great having someone around with the know-how and who's been through it themselves. I revisit concepts a lot.

How did the partnership with NGHS come about?

During Demo Day, we met a Georgia state representative. He put us in touch with NGHS. They were looking for companies to work with through their venture arm, Northeast Georgia Health Ventures(NGHV), so we pitched our product to them. They liked it, and then we spent a long time banging out the details. We worked with John Lanza, who's a friend of CREATE-X. He helped us find a corporate lawyer to read over the stuff we were signing. It took a little back and forth to get everything in place, but in September of last year, we finally kicked it off.

What’s the partnership like?

We provide them a license to our product, have weekly meetings where experts give feedback on the performance of the system, and then we make incremental changes to align the product with customer needs. 

While we're in this developmental phase, we're kind of keeping it under wraps until we make sure it’s fully ready. Our focus is primarily on emergent capabilities that NGHS and other EMS agencies are really looking for. Right now, the pilot is set to be a year long, so we're aiming to be ready for a full rollout by the end of the year. 

How did you pivot into this other avenue for your product?

EMS does not have many resources. That makes it not a popular space as far as applying emerging technologies. There's only competition in this very one specific vein, which is this central type of software that we plug into, so we're not competing directly with anyone.

EMS agencies, EMTs, and paramedics - the care that they give has to be enabled by a medical doctor. There has to be a doctor linked to the practices that they engage in and the procedures that they do. With the product that we're making now, we want to provide a low-cost, plug-and-play product that'll do everything they need it to do to enable the improvement of patient care. 

How are you supporting yourself during this period? 

I was paying myself last year, but we're out of money for that, so we're not currently paying for any labor. It's all equity now, but our burn rate outside of that is very low. The revenue we have now easily covers the cost of operating our system. I'm also working part-time as an EMT now. This helps cover my own costs while also deepening my understanding of the problems we are working on.

How are you balancing your work?

It's hard to balance. There's always stuff to do. I just do what I can, and the pace of development is good enough for the pilot. Every week, and then every month, Kevin and I sit down and analyze the rate at which we're working and developing. Then we project out. We're confident that we're developing at a rate that'll have us in a good spot by September when the pilot ends.

What’s a short-term goal for your startup?

Kevin and I are trying to reach back out and see if there's anyone interested in joining and playing a major role. The timing would be such that they start working a little bit after the spring semester ends. I think most Georgia Tech students would meet the role requirements, but generally, JavaScript and Node experience as well as a diverse background would be good.

Where do you want your startup to be in the next five years?

I want to have a very well-designed system. Despite all the vectors I’m talking about for our products, everything should be part of the same system in place at EMS agencies anywhere. I just want it to be a resource that EMS can use broadly.

Another issue in EMS is standards. Even the standards that are in place now aren’t broadly accessible. I think that these new AI tools can do a lot to bridge the lack of understanding of documentation, measures, and standards and make all of that more accessible for the layperson.

What advice would you give students interested in entrepreneurship?

Make sure the idea that you're working on, and the business model, is something you enjoy outside of its immediate viability. I think that's really what's helped me persevere. It's my enjoyment of the project that's allowed me to continue and be motivated. So, start there and then work your way forward.

Are there any books, podcasts, or resources you would recommend to budding entrepreneurs?

 I’d recommend Influence to prepare for marketing. I have no background in marketing at all. Influence is a nice science-based primer for marketing.

 I reread How to Win Friends and Influence People. I am not sure how well I'm implementing the concepts day-to-day, but I think most of the main points of that book are solid.

I also read The Mom Test. It's a good reference, a short text on customer interviews.

Want to build your own startup?

Georgia Tech students, faculty, researchers, and alumni interested in developing their own startups are encouraged to apply to CREATE-X's Startup Launch, which provides $5,000 in optional seed funding and $150,000 in in-kind services, mentorship, entrepreneurial workshops, networking events, and resources to help build and scale startups. The program culminates in Demo Day, where teams present their startups to potential investors. The deadline to apply for Startup Launch is Monday, March 17. Spots are limited. Apply now.

As CREATE-X enters 2025, the program is more committed than ever to helping students build the future they envision. Through workshops, courses, mentorship, and support, CREATE-X provides a low-risk environment where students can tackle real-world problems and develop solutions.

So far, we have helped launch more than 650 startups by founders from over 38 majors, seen eight founders featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Atlanta listing this year, and generated a total portfolio valuation of over $2.4 billion. 

Startup Launch, our 12-week summer startup accelerator, continues to be a cornerstone of student entrepreneurship at Georgia Tech, and the program is expanding to accommodate additional teams. Students are encouraged to apply and can even use course projects for their startups. Teams can be in any stage of development and must have at least one Georgia Tech faculty member, alumnus, or current student. Solopreneurs are also accepted. Apply to this summer’s Startup Launch by Monday, March 17.

Benefits of Startup Launch

• Education and Mentorship: Learn from experienced entrepreneurs and business experts.
• Financial Support: Receive $5,000 in optional seed funding and $150,000 of in-kind services like legal counsel and accounting.
• Networking Opportunities: Access a rich entrepreneurial network that will last a lifetime.
• Time in Front of Investors: Participate in Demo Day, Tech’s premier startup showcase, which attracts over 1,500 attendees annually, including investors, business and government leaders, field experts, and potential customers.
• Hands-On Experience: Fully immerse yourself in the startup process and intern for yourself.
• Skill Development: Build skills and confidence that will benefit you in any career path.

Rahul Saxena, director of CREATE-X, encouraged students not to feel like they have to be 100% ready before applying.

“We have seen classroom projects and hackathon teams move on to build very successful startups, even though they weren't originally thinking about it,” he said. “Students should apply for Launch to explore the possibility of it with whatever project they are doing now. You never know what could come of it.”

CREATE-X uses rolling admissions, so apply to Startup Launch today to increase your chances of acceptance. CREATE-X believes in producing quickly, failing fast, and iterating again. The team offers feedback to all applicants and encourages them to submit, even if they’re not entirely sure about their application. A previous info session on Startup Launch and a Startup Launch sample application are available to help students prepare. Attend CREATE-X events to get insights into entrepreneurship, workshop business ideas, find teammates, and prepare your Startup Launch applications. For additional questions, email create-x@groups.gatech.edu.

When Air Force veteran Michael Trigger began looking for a new career in 2022, he became fascinated by artificial intelligence (AI). Trigger, who left the military in 1989 and then worked in telecommunications, corrections, and professional trucking, learned about an AI-enhanced robotics manufacturing program at the VECTR Center. This training facility in Warner Robins, Georgia, helps veterans transition into new careers. In 2024, he enrolled and learned how to program and operate robots.

As part of the class, Trigger made several trips to the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI). When the faculty asked if anyone wanted an internship, Trigger raised his hand. 

“Coming to Georgia Tech allowed me to clarify what I wanted to do,” he said. “I’ve always been in service-based jobs, but I was interested in additive manufacturing,” or 3D printing.

For five months every weekday, Trigger drove from his home in Macon to Georgia Tech’s campus for his internship. The paid internship took place at Tech’s Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AMPF). This 20,000-square-foot, reconfigurable facility serves as the research and development arm of GTMI, functioning as a teaching laboratory, technology test bed, and workforce development space for manufacturing innovations.

During his time there, Trigger focused on computer-aided manufacturing and met with faculty and students to learn about their research. The internship wasn’t convenient, but it was worth it. 

“From our campus visits, I understood the mission of AMPF, so the fact they offered me this opportunity was huge for me,” he said. “The internship had a big impact on my life in terms of the technical and soft skills I gained.”

Building the Workforce

Launching new careers is just one of AMPF’s goals in testing new manufacturing and growing the future U.S. workforce. Since 2022, AMPF has improved the manufacturing process at all parts of the talent pipeline — from giving corporate researchers space to test and adopt AI automation technologies to training and upskilling their employees. Collectively, GTMI and AMPF’s efforts have led to a stronger, bigger network of manufacturers that other companies and the U.S. government can rely on. 

“We are going to need to manufacture more in the U.S. — from computer chips to cars — so we want to create jobs and fill them,” said Tom Kurfess, GTMI’s executive director. “We need more people working in the manufacturing sector, and we've got to make these jobs better and make people more efficient in them.” 

AI is one way to boost efficiency, but artificial intelligence won’t cut humans out of the process entirely. Rather, people will be integral to monitoring the systems and advancing them. As AI becomes more widely adopted, a college degree won’t necessarily be required to work in the AI field.

“Our workforce is going to need the next generation of employees to be amenable to retraining as the technology updates,” said Aaron Stebner, a co-director of the Georgia Artificial Intelligence Manufacturing program (AIM). A statewide program, Georgia AIM helps fund AMPF and sponsored Trigger’s internship. “Education is going to be more of a lifelong learning process, and Georgia Tech can be at the forefront of that.”

While GTMI already integrates AI into many processes, it remains committed to staying ahead of the curve with the latest technologies that could boost manufacturing. The facility is in the process of an expansion that will nearly triple its size and make AMPF the leading facility for demonstrating what a hyperconnected and AI-driven manufacturing enterprise looks like. This will enable GTMI to build and sustain these educational pipelines, which is key to its work.

“We’re developing the workforce for the future, not of the future,” explained Donna Ennis, a co-director of Georgia AIM. “It’s AI today, but it could be something else five years from now. We are focused on creating a highly skilled, resilient workforce.”

Part of Georgia AIM’s role is creating the pipelines that people like Trigger can follow. From bringing a mobile lab to technical colleges to hosting robotics competitions at schools, these efforts span the state of Georgia and touch populations from “K to gray.” 

“Kids don’t say they want to be a manufacturer when they grow up, but that’s because they don’t know it’s a viable career path,” Ennis said. “We’re making manufacturing cool again.”

Creating Corporate Connection

To create these job opportunities, GTMI is also partnering with corporations. Companies can join a consortium to access the AMPF research facilities and collaborate with researchers. Any size or type of company can take advantage of AMPF facilities — from corporations including AT&T and Siemens to small startups like Alegna, which licenses and commercializes Navy research.

“The ability to manufacture domestically is critical, not only for national security purposes, but also to keep the U.S. economically competitive,” said Steven Ferguson, a principal research scientist and executive director for the GT Manufacturing 4.0 Consortium. “Having the AMPF puts Georgia Tech within the innovation epicenter for these areas and will help us reshore manufacturing.”

The benefit of such an arrangement is twofold. Companies can work with the newest manufacturing technologies and make their own advances, and Georgia Tech builds a network of manufacturers across the state and world that students can work with. For example, AT&T uses the AMPF to test sensors for expanding personal 5G networks, and George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering Professor Carolyn Seepersad has Ph.D. students funded by a Siemens partnership through AMPF.

Trigger was able to connect and collaborate with some of these corporations and researchers during his internship. “I told them about my interest in machine learning because I wanted to see how they were integrating machine learning into their research projects,” he said. “All of them invited me to come by to observe and be part of the research.”

Starting a New Path

Because of his research collaborations during his AMPF internship, Trigger now has a new focus. “The internship clarified for me that AI is where everybody is going,” he explained. He wants to be at the forefront of AI manufacturing and hopes to pursue a certificate in machine learning next.

While he knows he still has much to learn, AMPF gave Trigger a foot in the door and confidence about the future. He — and other veterans like him — will help build the workforce that propels America forward in manufacturing.